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Don’t threaten, bribe or deal – breathe and act instead

Getting kids to cooperate is tricky. One method doesn’t necessarily fit all kids so as a parent or teacher it helps to have a broad repertoire of responses to draw on when kids are less then perfect or you want more cooperative behaviour.
Disciplining a child can also make many parents feel decidedly uncomfortable, as it doesn’t generally fit an idealised picture of parenting that many of us may have. Discipline is about helping kids stay safe, become social and also be savvy and astute when they interact with others, which makes discipline a positive and very necessary part of the parenting process.
Bad discipline habits
Unfortunately, it’s easy as a parent to develop bad habits to get cooperation from kids. For instance, it can be easier to offer a simple bribe such as “I let you use my iPad for 10 minutes if you can be quiet in the back seat ...(sign-up as a member to continue reading this article)

Michael is the author of 9 parenting books, including his new release Tech your kids to SHRUG,Thriving! and the best-selling Why First Borns Rule the World and Last Borns Want to Change it.

His popular parenting columns appear in newspapers and magazines across Australia. He appears regularly on television including Channel 10’s Studio 10, and is a popular & entertaining speaker as well as a frequent columnist for a variety of written media. He also has a regular fortnightly half hour parenting segment on ABC radio Victoria.

Michael has an education background,and holds a Master of Educational Studies with research into what makes healthy families tick. He has conducted over 1,500 parenting seminars over the last two decades.

Michael is married with three adult children who have all successfully flown the parent nest.